Baked Pumpkin for the Holidays

Provided By Susan Norton CNP,

Source: The Institute of Holistic Nutrition

Pumpkin is actually classified as a fruit. It’s extremely high if fiber, low in calories, and it has a tremendous amount of disease fighting nutrients such as potassium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and E. What makes this fruit a super food is its combination of carotenoids (alpha and beta) which protects your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals and boots the functioning of your immune system. Just ½ cup serving gives 100% of beta-carotene and double the amount of alpha-carotene.

Ingredients:

¾ cup goat’s milk

½ cup pumpkin puree – fresh is preferred or canned (without BPA lining)

½ – 1/3 cup of organic maple syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 pinches of nutmeg

1 pinch of cloves

1 tsp. vanilla extract (organic)

¼ cup ground flax seed – this is the amount before grinding

2 organic eggs

 

Instructions:

Put all ingredients except the eggs in a food processer.

Once combined add eggs and mix until smooth

Put the mixture into small custard cups leaving about a ½ `from the top

Place the filled custard cups in a high-sided baking pan and fill the pan midway up the cups with boiling water before placing in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-35 minutes.

About custard cup: if you don’t have custard cups at home, you can check any Dollar Store should have them.

Also, the seeds you scoop out of the pumpkin can be washed and dried with paper towels and then tossed with a little olive oil (just enough to coat). Add any kind of spice you like such as garlic, sea salt, chili powder. Then cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the seeds out in a layer. Bake for 3-5 minutes in a 350 oven until the seeds start to turn colour. You can also bake them at a very low temperature 200 degrees – this will take about an hour.

Crockpot Lentil Soup

By Susan Norton CNP,
This recipe is wonderful to come home to after a long day at work. Its anti-viral and anti-microbial benefits from the garlic and onions make this a great cold weather soup!
1 cup lentils
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 cup carrot (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups broth (homemade vegetable stock preferred or organic no sodium store bought)
2 1/2 cups water
14 1/4 ounces regular stewed tomatoes (organic, BPA free, low sodium)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cider vinegar.


Directions:

1. Sort through lentils to remove debris and shriveled beans, then rinse.
2. Add lentils to crock pot, along with barley, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, dried herbs and bay leaf.
3. Pour in broth, water, and tomatoes.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 12 to 14 hours or on high heat for 5 to 6 hours.
Note : if you don’t have a Crockpot you can cook on top of the stove  at a very low simmer, or even roast it in the oven at 325 for about 2 hours
5. Discard bay leaf and just before serving and stir in parsley and vinegar. (If you don’t use the vinegar, the soup will taste bland as you’re omitting a major contributor of flavor.).

Note : Lentils aren’t like dried beans. They don’t require soaking and cook pretty quickly when you do it right.